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Ramzan, 32, was convicted of assault, possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage. He will be sentenced next month.

The court heard that Mohammed Mulla, 41, had operated his Mr Whippy van for 12 years in the Lancashire town.

Smash: Mr Whippy then drives into the back of Mr Yummy's van parked in front of him

Stand-off: Mr Yummy then returns to his van and drives off down the street closely followed by Mr Whippy

In March, Ramzan, who lives 30 miles
away in Halifax and was selling ices on a commission basis, arrived at a
school where Mr Mulla operated. Mr Mulla told him: ‘You can’t come and
trade here.’ He also complained to Ramzan’s employers that he was
driving dangerously.

Ramzan was not deterred, however, and
the two men vied for customers. Locals said one would offer four
two-scoop cones with a chocolate flake for £2, after which the other
would offer the same deal for 10p cheaper.

Matters came to a head on June 2 when
Mr Mulla pulled into a street to find the Mr Yummy van already parked in
front of him. Mohammed Mobeen Yaseem, who filmed the confrontation on
his mobile phone, said: ‘I heard shouting and I saw the driver of the
front vehicle come out.

‘He seemed very threatening and
approached Mr Whippy. He had a tyre iron – that’s when I pulled the
phone out and started recording.’

VIDEO: Mr Yummy's tyre lever attack on 'Mr Whippy' caught on camera

He said Mr Whippy had been serving a small child when Mr Yummy approached ‘using the F-word’.

‘He was obviously angry, I couldn’t hear what the commotion was about but there was a lot of swearing going on.’

A blow from the tyre iron smashed Mr
Whippy’s side window, causing a shower of glass shards which damaged Mr
Mulla’s eye, the court heard.

He also needed hospital treatment for injuries from a forceful blow to his arm.

Almost immediately his van lurched
forward, ramming the rear corner of Ramzan’s. Ramzan got into his van
and drove off, followed by his rival.

Giving evidence from behind a screen,
father-of-three Mr Mulla said: ‘Mr Ramzan came towards the vehicle with a
metal bar. I haven’t said anything, I did not swear or say anything –
it was Ramzan swearing.’

Ramzan told the court he had picked up
the wrench because he felt scared and did not actually hit his rival
with it. It was just to show him I had it – I had no intention of
hitting him with it.

‘I was tapping on the window, using not that much force. I did not pull my hand back.’

He added: ‘It is not me, I have never
done this kind of stuff before in my life. I did not hit him with the
bar at all. I showed him what I had just to scare him. I wasn’t
threatening towards him.’

Ramzan added that Mr Mulla had then driven ‘straight into the back of my van’.

‘He was reversing and I saw that there
was a bump on the front.’ He went to the police the day after the clash
and reported that Mr Mulla had deliberately crashed into him. However
Edward Harrison, prosecuting, told magistrates that with glass showered
over Mr Mulla, ‘it is hardly surprising that he puts the vehicle in gear
and hits the defendant’s vehicle at low speed. It was done out of panic
and understandable in the circumstances.’

He added that Ramzan was making up
allegations against his rival to try to blacken his name and ruin his
business. ‘He is out to cause problems for Mr Mulla and he thought he
was going to get away with it. This defendant has absolutely no
credibility – he has gone from lie to lie.’

The local licensing committee has now ruled that neither van can go within 50 metres of another trader.